Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Қасым-Жомарт Тоқаев
Tokayev in 2025
2nd President of Kazakhstan
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 June 2019 Acting: 20 March – 12 June 2019
Prime Minister	Asqar Mamin Alihan Smaiylov Roman Sklyar (acting) Oljas Bektenov
Preceded by	Nursultan Nazarbayev
Chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 January 2022
Preceded by	Nursultan Nazarbayev
State Secretary of Kazakhstan
In office 29 January 2002 – 13 June 2003
President	Nursultan Nazarbayev
Preceded by	Abish Kekilbayev
Succeeded by	Imangali Tasmagambetov
4th Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
In office 1 October 1999 – 28 January 2002 Acting: 1 October 1999 – 12 October 1999
President	Nursultan Nazarbayev
Deputy	Aleksandr Pavlov Daniyal Akhmetov
Preceded by	Nurlan Balgimbayev
Succeeded by	Imangali Tasmagambetov
Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
In office 15 March 1999 – 1 October 1999
Prime Minister	Nurlan Balgimbayev
Chairman of the Assembly of People
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 April 2021
Preceded by	Nursultan Nazarbayev
Chairman of Amanat
In office 28 January 2022 – 26 April 2022
Preceded by	Nursultan Nazarbayev
Succeeded by	Erlan Qoşanov
Senate career 6th Chair of the Senate In office 16 October 2013 – 19 March 2019 Deputy Qairat Işçanov Asqar Beisenbaev Sergey Gromov Bektas Beknazarov Preceded by Kairat Mami Succeeded by Dariga Nazarbayeva 4th Chair of the Senate In office 11 January 2007 – 15 April 2011 Deputy Muhambet Kopeev Aleksandr Sudin Preceded by Nurtai Abykayev Succeeded by Kairat Mami Member of the Senate In office 16 October 2013 – 19 March 2019 Appointed by Nursultan Nazarbayev In office 11 January 2007 – 15 April 2011
Appointed by	Nursultan Nazarbayev
Diplomatic positions Minister of Foreign Affairs In office 29 January 2002 – 11 January 2007 Prime Minister Imangali Tasmagambetov Daniyal Akhmetov Karim Massimov Preceded by Erlan Idrissov Succeeded by Marat Tajin In office 13 October 1994 – 12 October 1999 Prime Minister Akejan Kajegeldin Nurlan Balgimbayev Preceded by Kanat Saudabayev Succeeded by Erlan Idrissov 11th Under-Secretary General and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva In office 12 March 2011 – 16 October 2013 Preceded by Sergei Ordzhonikidze Succeeded by Michael Møller
Personal details
Born	Kassym-Zhomart Kemelevich Tokayev (1953-05-17) 17 May 1953 (age 71) Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union (now Almaty, Kazakhstan)
Political party	Independent (1991–1999, 2022–present)
Other political affiliations	CPSU (before 1991) Amanat (1999–2022)
Spouse	Nadezhda Tokayeva ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 2020)​
Children	1
Education	Moscow State Institute of International Relations Beijing Language and Culture University
Signature

This article is part of a series about Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
President of Kazakhstan Since 2019 Political offices Foreign Minister (1994–1999; 2002–2007) Prime Minister of Kazakhstan (1999–2002) Senate Chairman (2007–2011; 2013–2019) Chairman of Amanat (2022) Chairman of Security Council (2022–present) President of Kazakhstan (2019–present) Premiership Tokayev Government Elections 2019 (campaign, inauguration) 2022 Nur Otan Congress 2022 (campaign) Presidency List of international trips COVID-19 pandemic 2022 Kazakh unrest New Kazakhstan People's Coalition 2022 referendum International Organisation for the Russian Language 2024 referendum Cabinets Mamin I Mamin II Smaiylov I Smaiylov II Bektenov Personal life Nadezhda Tokayeva Media gallery
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Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev^[a] (born 17 May 1953) is a Kazakh politician, diplomat, and tycoon who has served as the President of Kazakhstan since 2019.^[1] He previously served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 and as Chairman of the Senate from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2013 to 2019. Tokayev also held the position of Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva from 2011 to 2013.

Born in Alma-Ata (now Almaty), Tokayev studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and later trained at diplomatic institutions in China. He began his career in the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs before joining Kazakhstan’s foreign service after independence in 1991. As Foreign Minister from 1994 to 1999 and again from 2002 to 2007, as well as State Secretary from 2002 to 2003, Tokayev played a key role in shaping Kazakhstan’s diplomacy and its nuclear disarmament policies.

In March 2019, Tokayev became acting president following the resignation of Nursultan Nazarbayev.^[2] Later, in June of the same year, he won the first round of snap presidential election as the candidate of the ruling Nur Otan party.^[3] Initially aligned with Nazarbayev, Tokayev gradually consolidated power by removing key figures associated with the former president.^[4] His presidency has included various economic initiatives and a shift toward political reforms.^[5] In January 2022, large-scale protests over fuel prices escalated into violent unrest, prompting Tokayev to declare a state of emergency and request peacekeeping assistance from the CSTO.^[6] The subsequent crackdown resulted in casualties and mass arrests.^[7] Following the crisis, he distanced himself from Nazarbayev, removed key figures associated with the former leader, and implemented constitutional changes, including reducing presidential terms.^[8]

In 2022, Tokayev was re-elected in a snap presidential election, winning 81% of the vote in first round.^[9] He ran as an independent candidate under the support of People's Coalition after leaving the Amanat (formerly Nur Otan) party membership, positioning himself as a reformist. His administration has focused on political restructuring, economic modernization, and maintaining a multi-vector foreign policy, balancing relations with Russia, China, and the West.^[10]

Despite advocating political modernization, Tokayev’s government has faced criticism for restricting opposition parties, limiting press freedoms, and suppressing protests.^[11] In 2022, leaked financial records revealed that his family held offshore assets since at least 1998.^[12]

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